Wonder at what Jesus saw in you as He was on the cross

Wonder at what Jesus saw in you as He was on the cross 

“Surely you did not hear, surely you did not know.” Isaiah 48:8 NKJV 

It is painful to realize that, to some degree, this accusation can be laid at the door of believers, who too often are spiritually senseless. We are right when we sadly admit that we do not hear the voice of God as we should: “Surely you did not hear.” The Holy Spirit gently moves in our soul, and we are often unheeding: there are whisperings of divine commands and heavenly love that both go unobserved by our sluggish intellect. Oh, we have been carelessly ignorant: “Surely you did not know.” There are matters within that we ought to have seen—corruptions that have gained ground without our notice; sweet affections that are being blighted like flowers in frost, untended by us; glimpses of the divine face that might be perceived if we did not wall up the windows of our soul. But we “did not know.” As we think of it, we are humbled with the deepest self-abasement. We must adore the grace of God when we learn from Isaiah 48 that all our folly and ignorance was foreknown by God—and despite that foreknowledge, He was pleased to deal with us in the way of mercy! Admire the marvelous, sovereign grace that could have chosen us in the midst of all this sin and rebellion! Wonder at the price Jesus paid for us when He knew exactly what we would be! The One who hung on the cross foresaw us as unbelieving, backsliding, coldhearted, indifferent, careless and prayerless, and yet He said, “For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. . . . Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life!” (Isaiah 43:3–4). Oh, redemption—how marvelously you shine when we think how dirty we are! Oh, Holy Spirit, give us from this point on an ear that hears, and a heart that understands!  - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening 

There are people who cherish silence over words and deeds.  Another way of putting it is that rather than being with people or doing anything they would rather be where it's quite.  Our world is in a frazzled state.  If you look you can see why.  Upset people do not think straight because of the obvious.  A tired body means a tired mind. Tired minds make mistakes.   Jesus often got away from people to be with His Father.  Oh, that kind of silence. 

It was in reading Revelation today that something occurred to me.  In Isaiah and other parts of Revelation, we are shown that in Heaven worship is continuous.  That over and over people are praising God.  Yet note the times during the judgments, when all silence breaks loose in Heaven.  I never noticed that before.  Silence in a place that has always had perpetual worship going on. 

Then I read what Spurgeon said here.

"Wonder at the price Jesus paid for us when He knew exactly what we would be! The One who hung on the cross foresaw us as unbelieving, backsliding, coldhearted, indifferent, careless and prayerless, and yet He said, “For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. . . ."

Jesus in His times away from the people and His Disciples, was thinking about you. 

About me. About everyone who ever might be born.  On the cross, we hear in songs, we were on His mind.  I don't think that before He arrived in Bethlehem nor at any point in His time here on Earth, and certainly not after His ascension had He ever stopped thinking about every human being who ever would live.  This, by definition, includes every aborted child. 

Jesus was nailed to a cross not just for everyone who WOULD receive Him as Lord and Savior, but for every person who would reject Him. 

He knew every second of your life and mine.  He knows everything you have thought, said, or done, yet is ready to forgive you and receive you as a child of God, if you would just ask Him to save you.  There truly is no "but if He only knew what I did! What I said!"  Dear reader, He already does.  Know what? He still is ready to forgive and welcome you to the family of God.  Even if you are in prison, for abhorrent crimes, if you come to Christ, you WILL be forgiven and will become a member of the Household of God. You likely won't escape the consequences of your actions in this life but when you step into eternity you will be with Jesus. 

Nowhere in Scripture is Jesus quoted as saying "I came to seek and save the lost, except for this kind of person or that kind of person..." No exceptions! 

He said which kind of person who would not inherit the Kingdom of God, but those are the unrepentant, unforgiven, people of the world who never received Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

God's truth is the Absolute truth. 

If you continue to reject the offer of Salvation and you die, you will be in Hell, not Heaven nor some version of Purgatory. When Jesus arose the first time He took all the believers in Sheol, also referred to as Abraham's bosom, to Heaven.  Now, when people die you either go to be with Jesus because you put your faith and trust in Christ Jesus alone for Salvation or you end up in Hell.  It is my belief that it is Jesus, not an angel, that brings a human to either place. It isn't Peter with a book at the door of Heaven saying who does or does not get in.  The Holy Spirit testifies who is or is not a believer.  Jesus Himself died on a cross to be THE mediator between God and man.  Therefore I believe that it is Jesus who brings people to either place.  Scripture says for believers that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  

In Revelation, it isn't an angel who separates the wheat from the false wheat. The believer from the unbeliever.  It is Jesus. It isn't delegated to any other being. 

Should you die today, where would you go?

Are you sure of your destination?

Are you sure it would be Heaven?

Are you doubtful, unsure?  While you have time, stop now and pray. Stop now and ask Him to save you.  Stop now and remove all doubt.  Don't think your life as it has been qualifies you or disqualifies you for Heaven. It is not about anything you can or could do to be saved, short of trusting in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross, there IS NO OTHER WAY.  You could never earn enough of anything to get into Heaven. The Holy Spirit testifies who is or is not by His mark on the life of a believer. 

While He was on the cross, you, my dear reader were on His mind.